A Life Saved, A Destiny Changed
by Star Mystery Writer
Summary: What if Prue hadn't died? What if Leo had saved her and Piper the second time around? What would become of Paige? What about the relentless Angel Of Death? Would he still come after Prue? This is a
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed, sadly. All the credit goes to the writers, producers, and anyone else that I missed. Authors Note: This picks up pretty much right where "All Hell Breaks Loose" ended. Also, my fic "Through Space and Time" is still being worked on. I won't forget about it just because I started a new fic. I hope you enjoy this fic just as much.  
  
Phoebe paced the underworld, biting her lip, arms crossed.  
"Did time reset itself? Cole, do my sisters know what's going to happen?" She asked nervously.  
Cole frowned and shook his head. "I don't know."  
"Leo, go check on them . . . please, go . . . Now!" Phoebe cried, fear gripping at her heart.  
Leo wanted to ask how Phoebe would get home, but heard the urgency in the youngest Halliwell's voice and orbed back to the manor. The place was a mess. He spotted Prue and Piper and ran over, kneeling next to them. He placed one hand over each sister, praying he wasn't too late.  
Just as the first time, Piper and Prue blinked and sat up, groaning in pain.  
"Ahh, what happened?" Piper asked, looking around, a bit confused.  
"You guys almost died . . .again." Leo replied grimly.  
Prue frowned. "Again? Okay . . .confused. What do you mean 'again'?"  
Leo quickly explained what had happened, everything up to time resetting itself.  
"So . . .if you hadn't gotten up here when you had . . .we'd both be dead," Piper said stiffly.  
"Yeah, well, what else is new?" Prue said, frowning. "Hey . . . where's Phoebe?" She asked, taking Piper's hand and standing up, wincing in pain.  
As if to answer their question, Cole shimmered in with Phoebe, who immediately ran over to Prue and Piper and hugged them tightly.  
"Thank god. I thought I'd lost you, for sure!" She breathed, holding tightly still.  
"You almost did. If Leo hadn't come . . ." Prue began, then let the sentence drift off as she hugged her sisters.  
Piper stepped back after hugging both her sisters tightly. "Okay . . .so now what? Did we change the future events or something? I mean . . .isn't turning back time and changing something the same as going back in time and changing something?"  
"Even if we did, it was probably something small. If something is really meant to happen it will," Prue replied gently.  
Leo looked skyward and frowned. He glanced at the sisters. "That can't be good . . ." He gave Piper a quick kiss and orbed out.  
  
Paige Matthews huffed in annoyance. She was late for work again and traffic was unbearable. She saw the light change to green, and honked her horn until the cars began to move. After a few minutes, traffic thinned. She stomped down on the gas and sped up. If she didn't hurry, then she'd have fought the traffic for nothing; she'd get to work and find she had no job left. She'd be fired.  
She reached over and plunged a hand into her bag, shifting things around and trying to find her lip-gloss tube. She hadn't finished putting on her make-up in her rush to get out of the house. She found it and opened it, holding the wand in her free hand and the tube in the hand she still had on the steering wheel. She carefully spread the gloss onto her lips. The tub slipped from her hand and fell to the floor with a clatter. She huffed in annoyance as she leaned down to try and retrieve it, while at the same time trying to keep her eyes on the road.  
With no traffic in sight, she took her eyes off the road and looked down. She spotted the gloss. "There you are!" She muttered, picking it up. She heard a horn honking and looked up, but not in time to stop.  
A car rammed her on the drivers' side and killed her instantly.  
  
She stood on clouds, feeling helpless and confused. People in golden robes, their faces covered with hoods, walked around her. None looked at her. She gulped, brushing away a loose strand of raven hair. Suddenly, the fallen lip-gloss seemed unimportant. Suddenly, work didn't matter.  
Paige wondered around the misty, cloud-covered place, admiring huge marble columns. She tried not to stare at the people walking around her, but it was hard. Two of the people, one dressed in a robe, and one not, were talking quietly, and blocked Paige's path.  
"Why'd you call me up here, if not to tell me that what happened was a mistake and that one of the sisters was meant to die? Or that we changed something?" The man without the robe asked.  
The man wearing the robe frowned. "Leo, I called you up here to tell you that I was proud you were able to save both sisters. Only you weren't meant to. You were meant to come too late, and Prue was meant to die."  
Leo frowned deeply. "But why? That would just destroy Piper and Phoebe, not to mention the Power of Three."  
"Because another would have come to take Prue's place. Now the future of that young woman, half sister to the others, has been changed," the robed man replied.  
"What happened to her?" Leo asked, looking grim.  
"She has been killed. And instead of being a Charmed One, she will become a full Whitelighter, isn't that right Paige?" The robed man asked, turning to look at the raven-haired girl who had been listening in on their conversation.  
Paige gulped and stammered. "I-I . . . what? What's going on? Where am I?" She demanded to know, trying hard to keep her tears at bay.  
Leo blinked a few times, watching the girl closely. "She was supposed to replace Prue as a Charmed One?" he asked the man, who nodded. "And now she's a Whitelighter, instead of a Whitelighter-Witch?" The man nodded again.  
"What?!? A witch? And . . . what's a Whitelighter?" Paige asked, suddenly frightened. She took a step back.  
"Do not be afraid, child. All will be explained. Until then, Leo, go back to the Charmed Ones. Do not mention that Prue was meant to die. And do not mention their half sister. All of this will be revealed later on," the man explained gently. He held his hand out to Paige, who gave in and walked to him, taking his hand.  
Leo watched the Elder walk away with a still frightened Paige. Then, looking grim faced he orbed back to the manor. 


	2. A Life Saved, A Destiny Changed Chapter ...

"Leo! We were worried about you," Piper cried, running to Leo and hugging him tightly. She had gotten over her near death experience, as had Prue. But Phoebe was still pacing the room nervously. She still had her memory, and knew it was her fault that her sisters had nearly died twice. She sighed and sat down on the couch.  
"So, what did the Elders want?' Prue asked, crossing her arms and watching Leo closely.  
"Nothing. It wasn't connected to Shax or what happened here. They didn't mention it, even. So I'm guessing that everything that happened was meant to happen," Leo lied.  
Piper frowned, stepping back and examining Leo. "You're lying."  
Leo turned red. "I am not. Why would I lie about something as important as this?"  
"To keep us from finding out something we might not want to know. Like maybe we really did change the future, and maybe you really weren't meant to save us. Or maybe time wasn't meant to be set back. I don't know. But you're hiding something, I can tell," Piper replied.  
Prue and Phoebe glanced at Leo, expecting an answer. Leo looked uncomfortable.  
"I am hiding something, but it doesn't have to do with what happened today. And it isn't anything you three need to worry about," he said suddenly, defensively.  
"Leo," Piper growled, her tone low and warning. She didn't look happy.  
"It's nothing you three need to worry about, not for awhile. I mean, who says you'll ever end up meeting Paige-"Leo paused, realizing his mistake. He looked down.  
Piper exchanged a confused shrug with her sisters, then looked back at her husband. "Leo, who's Paige?"  
Defeated, Leo caved. "She's your half sister. A half witch and half Whitelighter. Or . . . she was supposed to be half witch. She was meant to take the place of a fallen Charmed One"  
Prue, Phoebe, and Piper gasped in shock. It was hard enough to hear they had a half sister, and even harder to grasp the concept that one of them had been meant to die.  
"Who?" Phoebe asked, breaking the silence.  
"I don't know if-"  
"Who?" Piper asked, backing next to her sisters.  
"It really isn't-"  
"Leo, we want to know," Prue snapped, tears in her eyes.  
Leo looked down, then up at the sisters. He was defying the Elders' orders by telling them. But he couldn't keep it from them any longer. He sucked in a deep breath and let it out. "Prue."  
Silence feel among the sisters. Phoebe began to sob; Piper tried to keep her tears at bay; Prue's eyes became misty, but the tears wouldn't come. Instead, she stood and began to stomp out of the room. Confused, Piper and Phoebe stood and followed. Leo hesitated, then followed the sisters, up the stairs and into the attic.  
Prue walked to the brown trunk where they kept the magical herbs and candles. She pulled out four white candles and made a circle in the middle of the floor. She lit them with a lighter, then went to the Book of Shadows. She flipped through it until she found the spell she needed. She began to chant, "Hear my words, here my cry, Spirits from the other side. Come to me, I summon thee, cross now the great divide."  
Golden lights appeared in the middle of the circle and, moments later, Grams appeared, smiling.  
"Girls! How wonderful it is to-"She paused, seeing their grim and sad faces. "-See you . . . What happened?"  
"Tell us about Paige. Tell us why you and mom never told us we had a half sister," Prue asked. Well, begged.  
Grams frowned and shook her head. "I can't."  
"But I can," replied a voice. More white lights appeared and Patty joined Grams in the circle.  
"Okay, so talk," Prue muttered.  
Quickly, and skipping not one detail, Patty told the sisters of her affair with her Whitelighter, and of giving Paige up to keep her safe, and to ensure they got their powers.  
The sisters were once again shocked into silence.  
"I was meant to die. Did you guys know?" Prue asked, still trying not to cry.  
Grams nodded. "We did. We knew Paige would take your place, and the Charmed line would continue on."  
Prue was about to ask another question, when Grams and Patty looked skyward, then back at the sisters with an apologetic frown.  
"We must be going. My darling daughters, I'm so sorry you had to find out this way. Please, take care of yourselves. Be safe," Patty said, before disappearing.  
"Take care of yourselves, girls. The future holds a lot of unexpected turns now," Grams said, then she too disappeared.  
Prue slumped down onto the antique couch, chewing her lip.  
Phoebe had to sit, too, because the shock was overwhelming. She leaned into Prue and sobbed more. The thought of loosing her older sister was unbearable. They had come so close . . . so close to loosing her. And now the news of a half sister . . .  
"I lived, and our little half sister had to die because for it," Prue mumbled, feeling utterly guilty.  
"Oh, honey. Don't blame yourself. At least she's a Whitelighter. She can do so much good," Piper said softly, trying to comfort her older sister.  
Leo looked skyward and orbed out unnoticed.  
  
Up in the heavens, Leo spoke with the same Elder he had spoken to earlier, Kernaphist, who was very angry with Leo.  
"I had to. The girls saw right through me. I had no choice but to tell them," Leo argued.  
"Nonetheless, you disobeyed me. The girls were not to find out yet. And now they have," Kernaphist replied. His voice was low, but filled with anger. His eyes held disappointment. "They were not meant to find out until later on, when it was necessary, and when Paige understood her new role as a Whitelighter."  
"But is it so wrong that they do know? Why hide it from them now? What's the point?" Leo wanted to know.  
"Because now, at a time when the sisters are at a great risk, they are distracted by thoughts of a half sister, meant to replace Prue. Of a future in which, had it not been tampered with, there would have been a new sister among them. Of a future that did not include Prue in it," Kernaphist explained.  
"What do you mean? What risk? What'd going to happen to them?" Leo asked, desperate to know and to warn the sisters.  
"I cannot say," Kernaphist explained gently. "The future has been tampered with too much at this point. But you must make sure they are prepared. Also, Leo, Paige will be your responsibility. You will train her as a Whitelighter until she can proceed on her own. You will take her to meet her sisters."  
Leo nodded. Kernaphist called for Paige, who seemed less confused and scared. He explained what was about to happen. Paige nodded and stepped next to Leo.  
"Let's go. I'm ready to meet them," she said calmly.  
Leo took her hand and orbed Paige back to the Manor, into the attic where Prue, Piper, and Phoebe still sat. The new arrival shocked them at first, but then they knew. They realized that this girl was Paige, the half sister that died because they had saved Prue.  
Paige, nervous, walked up to the sisters and extended her hand. "I'm Paige. Paige Matthews."  
Prue stood with a slight sigh. "I'm Prue. That's Piper, and that's Phoebe."  
Paige forced a smile. The sisters seemed nice enough. "Well, this is kind of awkward."  
Prue nodded. "Don't worry. We can talk, get to know-"Prue cut off and pushed Paige to the ground. An arrow pierced her stomach. She howled in pain.  
Piper jumped up and blew up the Darklighter that had let the arrow fly. Leo, followed by Phoebe, ran to help Prue. Phoebe pulled the arrow out and Leo healed her. They stood, Piper helping Paige to her feet.  
"What the hell was that?" Paige cried, eyes wide.  
"That was a Darklighter," Prue said, sighing.  
"Okay, I know the Elders mentioned them and stuff. But why come after me? I know they go after Whitelighters, but . . ." Paige cut off, confused.  
Suddenly, it dawned on Prue.  
"Because if they sent a Darklighter to attack, it would finish you off. And then if I were to die, like I'm meant to, there would be no way to reconstitute the Power of Three."  
Piper frowned. "What do you mean, if you were to die like you were meant to?"  
Prue sighed. "Because I escaped the Angel of Death once. I won't be able to again." 


	3. A Life Saved, A Destiny Changed Chapter ...

A/N: The paragraphing got messed up. So I had to space the paragraphs. Sorry! Lol. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------  
  
"What? Prue, what are you talking about?" Piper asked shrilly, fear in her voice.  
  
Prue chewed her lip and stared at the floor. "The Angel of Death. He doesn't stop until he gets who he's after. I was meant to die, so he won't stop until I'm dead."  
  
"We won't let that happen, Prue. We saved you once and we'll keep saving you. We won't let them take you from us," Phoebe said weakly, trying to hold back a fresh wave of tears.  
  
"Prue's right, though, Phoebe. The Angel of Death won't stop coming after her. She was meant to . . . die . . . and he won't stop until he has her," Leo reminded them.  
  
"But don't we live our own lives? Make our own destinies?" Paige asked, looking from one person to the other.  
  
Piper nodded. "We do. We make our own choices. But sometimes things can't be helped. Sometimes, if something is meant to happen, it will, no matter what we do to try and stop it."  
  
Phoebe frowned. "But if Prue dies, the Power of Three really will be broken, won't it?" No one said anything at that. Phoebe quickly added, "I mean, loosing a sister would be even worse than loosing a Charmed One. But- "  
  
"Phoebe, calm down," Prue murmured, sighing.  
  
"Calm down? Prue, you're talking about dying and you want me to calm down??" Phoebe shrieked  
  
"Look, nevermind, okay? Right now we need to . . . I don't know," Prue said, looking at Leo. "What do we do? I was saved. But . . ." she looked at Paige, then back at Leo.  
  
"What?" Paige asked, confused. "Oh, right." She looked away, suddenly sad. She wondered what her life would have been like, had she not died. That Elder, Kernaphist, he had told her little of what her future would have held if she had not died. She wondered if Leo knew.  
  
Paige cleared her throat and the room silenced. Everyone stared at her. "Uhm, I was just wondering . . ." she said, looking at Leo, "if you knew what would have happened to me if I'd lived. I mean, I kinda get that I'm their half sister," she added, nodding at Prue, Piper, and Phoebe, "but I don't understand the rest. Kernaphist didn't really explain much to me."  
  
Leo glanced at the Charmed Ones. "Fill her in. I'll be back." He kissed Piper and orbed out. "Okay, well I think we should go downstairs," Prue said, looking at Paige. "We have a lot to explain . . ."  
  
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Piper entered the living room, holding a tray full of coffee cups and her homemade corn muffins. She set it down on the coffee table, then sat next to Prue on the couch. Phoebe and Paige sat opposite them.  
  
"Paige, we don't really know what would have happened if you'd lived and . . . and I'd died," Prue began slowly. "You were meant to replace me as a Charmed One, the most powerful witches known. You'd be half witch and half Whitelighter. And, well, I really don't know after that."  
  
Paige nodded slowly, sipping the hot coffee she held. She was about to say something when a shadow caught her eye. She looked up and behind Piper and Prue. Her eyes widened and she jumped up, dropping her coffee. "D-d-demon!" she cried.  
  
Prue, Piper, and Phoebe went right into action, jumping up and spinning around. But what they saw scared the hell out of them.  
  
Shax stood in front of the girls, an almost drunken look on his face. It seemed like a constant wind was surrounding him. He took few steps closer to the girls.  
  
Prue squinted her eyes, trying to TK Shax away from them, but he barely flinched, advancing closer to them. Piper threw up her hands to blow him up and missed. Shax grinned, stepping closer and closer. Phoebe ran at him, jumping up, leg out, to kick him, but Shax simply grabbed her around the ankle and threw her aside. Phoebe screamed, hitting the wall pretty hard and landing on the ground in a motionless heap.  
  
"Phoebe!" Prue cried. She and Piper moved close, keeping Paige behind them. "Piper, quick, the spell, the spell! What was it?" she asked, panicked.  
  
"I . . . I don't remember!" Piper cried, just as panicked. "Think! Uhm . . .Uhm . . . Evil wind that blows, that which forms below . . ." she cut off, trying desperately to remember.  
  
"Oh! Uhm . . . no longer may you dwell, death takes you with this spell, Piper finished.  
  
Quickly, Prue and Piper chanted the spell together, three times.  
  
Shax growled and hissed, turning into wind. The wind retreated and disappeared.  
  
"Did we get him?" Piper asked, frowning.  
  
"I hope so," Prue replied, running to where Phoebe was finally coming to.  
Phoebe blinked and groaned in pain, sitting up. "Where's Shax?" she managed to ask, rubbing her aching arm.  
  
"Gone . . . for now," Prue replied, helping Phoebe stand. "We need all three of us to say the spell and so far, we haven't been able to do that.  
  
"Next time. We'll get him next time, when we're prepared more," Piper said, trying to sound confident.  
  
Paige collapsed onto the chair, shaking all over with fear. Personally, she was happy she hadn't become a witch, even though it still ran in her blood. She didn't have to worry about practicing the craft or demons attacking daily.  
  
"So Shax isn't gone for good, then?" She asked, frowning at the sister's. She bit her lip. "Isn't that spell meant to destroy him?"  
  
Prue nodded. "It is. But it needs the Power of Three to work because Shax is a very powerful assassin." She paused. "We need Leo. He needs to start showing Paige how to use her orbing and healing powers so she won't be defenseless next time."  
  
As if he had heard her, Leo orbed in. "Kernaphist said the same thing," Leo said. He walked to Paige. "Come on, let's go up to the attic." He took her hand and orbed her out of the room.  
  
Prue sighed and sat down on the couch. "Shax won't give up until he kills us. We need to stop him." She looked up at her sisters, frowning.  
  
"We will, Prue, we will. We just need to be prepared next time. We'll memorize the spell and stay close, that way if Shax attacks we'll be able to stop him," Phoebe replied.  
  
Prue sighed. "I hope you're right. The sooner we vanquish Shax the better."  
  
Leo circled Paige. The young Whitelighter had her eyes closed and was breathing slowly and deeply.  
  
"Concentrate, Paige. Just imagine it happening. Picture the living room in your head," he coached.  
  
Paige did as she was told. She tried to clear her mind of everything but the living room and what it looked like, down to every detail she could remember. Suddenly, she felt light as a feather, her fingers tingling. She felt warm and when she opened her eyes, she was standing in the middle of the living room.  
  
"I did it!" she cried, smiling at Prue, Piper, and Phoebe, who were sitting on the couch talking.  
  
Prue smiled. "Good. Now try going back to the attic."  
  
Paige nodded and closed her eyes, imagining every detail of the attic. Her fingers began to tingle again. She felt light and warm. Seconds later, she opened her eyes to see a smiling Leo.  
  
"Good. I think you have that one down. Now, healing . . ." Leo thought a moment. "Let's go downstairs."  
  
Paige nodded and headed for the door, but Leo grabbed her arm and stopped her.  
  
"We're orbing," he said.  
  
Paige nodded, smiling a bit. She closed her eyes, pictured the living room, opened her eyes, and found she was in the living room, standing next to Leo.  
  
"I need a volunteer to get hurt," Leo told them.  
  
Piper frowned. "Leo . . .?"  
  
"So Paige can try healing," Leo finished.  
  
Prue stood. "I'll 'volunteer' to get hurt."  
  
Phoebe reached into her pocket and handed Prue her pocketknife. Prue braced herself, then slit her palm. She hissed, then held her hand out to Paige.  
  
Paige put her hand over Prue's and concentrated on healing it. A golden glow emanated between her hand and Prue's. When the glow faded, Paige lifted her hand up. Prue's hand was healed. The wound was closed and the blood was gone.  
  
"You're a fast learner," Piper commented.  
  
"That's a good thing, right?" Paige asked.  
  
Piper smiled and nodded.  
  
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"When do we strike?"  
  
"Soon, Marcus, soon. We will strike when the time is right and when the witches do not expect it. The oldest was meant to be killed by Shax and she will be killed, one way or another."  
Marcus narrowed his eyes. "Will the Source punish Shax? He failed, twice, to kill the witch. A failure as great as that is punishable by death."  
  
"It is. And if the Source doesn't do the job, I will. Either way, I will get the credit for killing her."  
  
"You? But I am going to kill her!" Marcus snarled.  
  
"And the credit will go to me. Do you have a problem with that, Marcus?"  
  
Marcus eyed the fireball that had been formed and shook his head. "N-no. You'll get the credit . . . "he replied.  
  
"That's better. Now, be patient. They are preparing for another attack from Shax. If you strike now, you will be killed."  
  
Marcus nodded. "Yes. Then I will wait and the moment the witches don't expect it, I'll attack." 


End file.
